Ever wanted to play a mage-thief character, but wanted to do so from level 1 or didn't want to bother with multi-classing into various PrCs? Well have I got the class for you!
The Abstract Thief is a practitioner of an esoteric art which allows one to manipulate the connection of ideas. No ordinary burglar or cutpurse, the Abstract Thief steals concepts, things believed to be inviolate and integral to people's beings. Youth, knowledge, luck, none of it is safe from an enterprising Abstract Thief!
Game mechanics-wise, the Abstract Thief is an arcane spellcaster (up to 6th level spells) with rogue-like skills. Additionally, they can learn special attacks known as Abstractions which can hinder enemy abilities by taking away their competence in various fields. Stealing spells, skill ranks, weapon and armor proficiencies, even souls, are but a few of the abstractions available!
Also included are new feats useful to many character concpets, and sample tales for how Abstract Thieves came to be in this world.
Here's the link to the product page.
I'd be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have about this product!
Interesting...
What sort of precautions were taken to ensure it doesn't bog down the game with having to recalculate creature's abilities on the fly? That was, after all, the reason for the change in how negative levels worked in PF.
Most of the Abstractions are either short-term hits to a target's competence, or absorb specific abilities which won't involve major rewrites of the enemy's stat block. For example, Steal Vitality deals damage to a creature and grants the Abstract Thief a number of equivalent temporary hit points. Steal Fortune (the minor version) imposes a -2 on the target's next D20 roll while granting a +2 bonus on the Abstract Thief's next D20 roll. Steal Shadow turns a target's shadow into an effective summoned Shadow monster. Steal Passion takes a mind-affecting ability on a target and puts it on the Thief. Steal Space teleport-switches the Thief and target's locations.
Most of them are no more complicated than existing spells, although the more powerful ones need "lesser" versions as a prerequisite. Basically impose a buff spell on yourself, a debuffer on the enemy.
The two most stat-integral Abstractions are like Steal Force, which robs a weapon of its enhancement bonus and adds it to one of your own, and Steal Knowledge which subtracts skill ranks and adds them to the Abstract Thief.
In general, Abstractions last for a number of minutes equal to the Abstract Thief's class level, and cost Abstraction points to use whether or not the attack is successful. And all of them are single-target effects.
So most of these don't take things away from the enemies, which may have an avalanche effect due to prereqs.
So most of these don't take things away from the enemies, which may have an avalanche effect due to prereqs.
Not permanently, no.
Regarding prerequisites, they're not as expansive as feat trees, and have new effects rather than a simple increase in numbers. For example, Steal Life requires Steal Vitality, except instead of dealing hit point damage it forces a Save-or-Die. Steal Fortune, Greater, forces a reroll on attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws (take the best for the Thief, take the worst for the target) instead of a +2/-2.
Most Abstractions require no previous ones to take, 15 out of 18 total, and are mostly restricted by minimum class level instead.
Sorry, I meant if you steal power attack, the creature can't use cleave, right?
There is no "Steal Feat" Abstraction.
The only one which does anything like this is Steal Proficiency, which takes away proficiency in a particular weapon, armor, or shield, and gains it as an effective feat. If the target possesses feats or special abilities which require proficiency in said equipment, then they're unable to use said abilities for the duration of the Abstraction (1 minute per Abstract Thief level).
Ah, excellent! Looking forward to reading this one.